www.list.co.uk/books Reviews Books
HISTORICAL THRILLER MICHAEL CRICHTON Pirate Latitudes (HarperCollins) ●●●●● knowledge and understanding (and, by implication, power) away from the masses. Eduardo Galeano, the 69-year-old Uruguayan journalist and novelist, is one such individual who seeks to redress the
The first of two books to be published posthumously, Pirate Latitudes was found as a complete manuscript after Michael Crichton’s death in November 2008. Set in the volatile colonial Caribbean in 1665, it details British privateer Charles Hunter’s quest to find a Spanish galleon of treasure in lucid, almost cinematic detail: think Pirates of the Caribbean, without Jack Sparrow’s jauntiness. It’s a fast-paced novel,
during the course of which Crichton wholeheartedly buys into the swashbuckling language of 17th century adventures on the High Seas: two of Hunter’s crew are called ‘the Jew’ and ‘the Moor’, and there are plenty of lascivious women around to meet the sailors’ every need. But despite its light- hearted, nautical tone, long pages of description and under- developed characters fail to get the blood pumping. As a quick, effortless read, it works, but it’s unlikely to overtake the likes of Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain as a favourite in Crichton’s canon. (Yasmin Sulaiman)
ALTERNATIVE HISTORY EDUARDO GALEANO Mirrors (Portobello) ●●●●● There are plenty out there who believe the history we are taught in schools and fed to us by the mainstream media is a wretched farce. Even suggesting that there are two sides to every story is falling into the traps of those who seek to keep real
balance and tell it a bit more like it is.
In Mirrors: A History of the World, Refracted, Galeano delivers 600 brief snapshots which aim to give a voice to those ignored by ‘official versions’ of our world. So, he attacks the arrogance of explorers who ‘discovered’ already populated lands, slates those who put a chimp in space and celebrates the birth of jazz. A constantly dazzling and occasionally witty text that will open eyes and drop jaws. (Brian Donaldson)
COMEDY COMIC GILBERT SHELTON The Fat Freddy’s Cat Omnibus (Knockabout) ●●●●●
While he might come across as a hippy Garfield, Fat Freddy’s Cat actually predates the lasagne-obsessed ginger tom by nine years. Springing from the pages of the ultimate stoner’s comic – The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers – which was full of laconic humour, slapstick and Cheech & Chong-style gags. Now this bumper tombstone of a book collects all this smart- assed feline’s free- wheeling adventures.
Not as drug-obsessed as his obese owner, FFC is far more interested in food, sex, battling cockroaches and proving his superiority to his so- called ‘master’ while still making time for the odd bit of catnip. The fast- paced one-page stories
ALSO PUBLISHED
5 UNIT SHIFTERS Andy McNab Exit Wound Mr SAS with his latest Nick Stone thriller in which a raid on Saddam Hussein’s gold stash goes horribly awry and a complex conspiracy slowly reveals itself. Bantam. Karin Slaughter Genesis Medical examiner Sara Linton has been living a quieter life but is dragged back into a world of brutality when a seriously wounded young woman is brought into her hospital. Century.
Stephen King Under the Dome A mere 900 pages featuring 100 characters in which a normal Maine town is cut off from the rest of civilisation by an invisible force field. Hodder & Stoughton.
Ben Elton Meltdown A successful city trader appears to have it all. And then the global financial crisis hits him where it really hurts and for the first time in his life has to adapt to failure. Bantam. Robert Ludlum The Second Bourne Trilogy Three Bourne books entitled Legacy, Betrayal and Sanction are bundled together for another near-1000 page espionage thriller extravaganza. Orion.
are sharp and punchy, far superior to the longer rambling tall tales, but even these are never less than entertaining. Very much locked in the 70s (even the later stories still reek of free love and tie-dye), it’s stupid, goofy and extremely funny. (Henry Northmore)
19 Nov–3 Dec 2009 THE LIST 37
ESSAY COLLECTION ZADIE SMITH Changing My Mind (Hamish Hamilton) ●●●●●
As she notes in her foreword, Zadie Smith had written her latest book without even knowing it. All it took was one person to point out that since she burst onto the scene brandishing her White Teeth, Smith has committed thousands of words to print on literature, film and a little bit of politics. So, she now has her name back in the spotlight without even having to go through the many pain barriers implicit in sitting down to get a book out there. But somewhat generously, she does provide us with a chapter on her own methods of conceiving and delivering a work of fiction. The overriding gist of this collection, and hinted at in the title, is that a writer grows over the course of a decade, and with it their opinions shift and flow as their experience and understanding (or incomprehension) of the world develops. ‘The time to make your mind up about people is never’ a line she merrily quotes from her favourite film The Philadelphia Story, uttered by her favourite actress, Katharine Hepburn. Curiously, she writes beautifully and personally about cinema but when she tackles literature (Franz Kafka and David Foster Wallace are two of her chosen authors), there seems to be a disappointing distance at play as though she is too respectful of her vocation. Fortunately, and unlike some of her fictional endeavours, the essays here are never wearisome and overburdened by tricksiness. If she does change one thing, it would be a pleasure if she could carry such focus into her novels. (Brian Donaldson)
SOCIAL COMEDY PIETER WATERDRINKER The German Wedding (Atlantic) ●●●●● Pieter Waterdrinker’s clever wedding farce isn’t the average boy meets girl story. Here, rich girl meets conniving boy; girl fakes pregnancy to trap boy, boy lies through teeth to get hands on her colossal inheritance – and breathtaking ‘knockers’ – and respective families are invited to wedding party of the year. The German in-laws arrive at a Dutch
seaside town in 1958, with a full oompah brass band in tow, oblivious to the bitter post-war, ‘anti-Kraut’ resentment filling the air. The scene is set to
end with, in the language of TV listings, ‘hilarious consequences’. And it does, with Liza’s bitchy, Lady Muck mother cavorting with young hotel staff, and the groom chasing skirt into toilets and Nazi party meetings. But under the camp soap opera icing, Waterdrinker’s plot conceals a poison-laced cake, where wartime crimes and national shame rear their ugly heads. A comedy of bad manners, full of bad people, and good fun. (Claire Sawers)